Steel house



H. SCULLIN STEEL HOUSE Filed 'April `24. 1931 2 SheetSSheet 1 SES!!! @WENHMI wl E .mi

Ocvt. 16, 1934. y H scuLLlN 1,976,967

STEEL HOUSE Filed April 24, 1931 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Oct. 16, 1934 l .UNITED/STATES- PATENT om@ i '1,376,967 u STEEL HoUsE p Y, Harry Scullili,V St. Louis, Mo.,4 assigner to Scullin Steel Co., St. Louis, Mo., a. corporation of Delaware f Appucation April 24, 1931, serial 1510.532541` 6 claims. (o1. 18s- 17) This invention relates, broadly speaking, yto the tioniare included in the invented assemblage vand use of steel as a material for4 building construccomprise, for example; a novel ridge pole contion and more particularly is concerned With the struction, an improved manner of building the provision of an improved, simplied and kmore eaves, a new design of floor level insulatoraand 1 durable steel frame for houses. i an improved method of applying roong material 60 The use of steel in building houses and resito the'frame. i f f i dences isa comparatively recent development, As hereinbefore pointed out',other objects and and the accomplishments that have so far taken features -of the invention willv become apparent place inithiseld have been, at least in comparifrom a. reading of the following specicationinV 1 son. with the present invention, complex, expenthe light of the accompanying drawings, in which 55 sive and `abortive.` For instance, steel in great Figure 1 isa'view in perspective cfa steel frame quantities has been used in putting up the comfor a house constructed in conformity with the parativelysimple framework of a residence with present invention. .Y L ,the'attendant undesirable factors of high cost 'Figure 2 is a detail perspective showing the j of 'materials and inconvenience of construction. connection of the vertical beams to the founda- 70,

.Another disadvantage which has customarilyaction member. i n Y y companied the prior efforts `has been the use of Figure 3'is a detail view inlsection showing the separate or removable fastenings to secure tomanner of insulating the iioors ofthe house. gether the steel frame members; Such members Figures 4 and 5 are vieWsshovving the manner are troublesome to put in place and are apt to beof inserting insulating materialforming the'walls 7.5 come loose during Wear. A still further disadof the house. v j f i vantage of the prior attempts has resided in the Figures 6 and-'ldisplay the application of lathes necessity of specially forming the structural memand plaster to the walls. v bers. This latter requirement increases the cost Figures 8 and 9 show the manner of holding-the and'renders it necessary to have the members roofing material inplace, and p f' specially rolled and shaped in the mill. i Figure 10 isfa modified form of roof structure.

With the foregOIig desdelatllm irl View th For the sake of convenience the structureilluspresent invention iS directed to the provision of trated in the drawings will be described by startan improved type of structure that eliminates the ing with the basement or bottom portion and objections and disadvantages of the prior strucproceeding upwardly to the ridge pole or `top 85 tllIeS and retains the desirable featlll'eSuOf the 0f the house, Accordingly the reference numeral Steel frame Construction. Numerous features Of 10 indicates a, Concrete basement,y 01 foundation the invention Will appeal from a reading 0f the 0f the type generally employed in houses today. SpeCiCatOIl appended heretO, ih the lghtOf the Vertically placed within the basement are sup- .35 accompanying dl'aWrlgS,bllt OFIItYOdUCtOI'YDUI'- porting columns 12 for carrying horizontally ex- 90 pOSeS a feW 0f the many desirable attributes 0f tending supporting'beams 14, the top of the beams the invention willl be specifically Set OIth. 14 being approximately on the level with the top In the 'lSt D'leCe the VliVelltOIl COI-lteIIlDlateS of the foundation 10.' It will bev understood and the elimination" of separate fastenings and the appreciated'thatl if desired the foundation 10 may 1 40 Substantial Strengthening 0f the Structure be of less height; located beneath-the earth-line, 95 through the provision of an integral and all-steel and the vertical supporting beams may be of corframework. Then again in order to conserve marespondingly greater length. In this event the terial the invention contemplates constructing the foundation will not show from the outside and the house or residencevframe inmultiples'of small entire Walls may then be'a matter of selection, `units. This" analytical method of construction is such as brick, oement'block, etc. `to be contrasted with 4the haphazard methods now Extending completely around the foundation 'in vogue of placing'steel indiscriminately at points is a hollow structure member or box 16 which is Where it appears HGCGSSMY- shown rnoreclearly in Figure 3. This box forms The invention eliminates the necessity of prothe base of the frame and is secured to the founviding specially formed frame members and condation byvmeans of bolts 18 which pass through templates the use of standard steel sections the box and base plates 20 and With'bolts 19 are throughout;V 'As disclosedherein the sections are buried in the foundation 10. The box-like memmainly l channel .bars or I` beams which afford ber 16 may be formed in any. desiredmanner, as, guide ways for the reception of building or insu# for example, by Weldingtogether the edges of the lating blocks. Many other features of construcflanges of oppositelyfacing channel beams. The llo Cil beams 24 and the insulating member 16.

bers 16, leaving a small expansion area 21. TheV beams 24 span the foundation and can conveniently be dropped into place upon the flang`es2'2, properly adjusted with respect thereto, and final-- ly may be welded to contribute to: the integral frame structure. Preferably, the floor beams 24 rest upon the horizontally extending supporting. beams 14 and thereby receive support at their" central portions.

The sub-floor, as illustrated in Figure 3, is of an exceedingly durable yet flexible construction comprising a corrugated metal base-23 lled with mastic cement filler andbond 25- and covered with a composition tile flooring 27 or other suitable material. This construction of the sub-floors provides a more resilient base than the present construction employed in steel buildings, and also affords a better bond for the materials placed upon it. 1

In order to provide an exceedingly strong and durable framework with the least amount of material, the floor beams 24 are spaced yuniformly from one another in accordance with some unitof measurement, as, for example, 24 inches, v30 inches, 36 inches, etc. This unit is determined by computation, taking into account the various loads that are to be imposed, the size of the house and other pertinent factors. When once the unit has been adopted it becomes standardized in the dwelling and all of the other parts of the frame are placed in conformity therewith.

Extending upwardly from the insulating member 16 are vertical wall beams 26. These beams form the peripheral boundary of the frame and are spaced apart according to the unit ofmeasure'- ment adopted in the floor construction. Furthermore, in order to increase the rigidity ofi the structure the vertical wall beams 26 extend upwardly from the points of junction of the hoor Thus if the reader will pause to tracer one of the horizontal floor beams he will find that at its opposite ends there is a vertically extending wallv beam leading therefrom.

The floor beams 24 as well as the vertical wall beams 26, and in fact the remaining structure members of the frame, arev all standard steel sections. 'I'hat is, they are I beams'or channel beams or flange beams of some sort of ystandard dimensions and of the type customarily known in the trade as standard sections. Itrhas been impossible to illustrate this clearly in the perspective views shown in Figures 1 and 2` of the drawings, but nevertheless the use of standard sections throughout is an exceedingly important aspect of the invention and is illustrated in the'drawings wherever occasion permits.

The reference numeralr 28 is usedto indicate horizontal members disposed in the verticalside walls. These members 28I are insertedy only at those points where it is desired to form window or door openings, and therefore, they serve the dual function of marking the `openings and reinforcing in a horizontal direction the vertical ly extending frame members.

I'he vertically extending beams 26 are practically all in the outer wall of the frame and if attention is devoted to the few vertical beams arranged elsewhere in the structure, it will be observed that there are only a very few vertically extending supporting beams 30 disposed within the interior of the house. 'Ihese beamsA 30 contribute to the support of the floors above and may be used to mark wall boundaries. They are scarce enough, however, that they form no part ofthe partition walls marking off the different roomsand therefore the partition walls do not carry` any substantial weight. 'I'his permits the partition walls to be knocked down with ease and rearranged to change the location and shape of the rooms on Vthe different oors and thereby affordsanother important feature of the invention.' Therefore, to repeat, each floor of the house within the outer walls is substantially unobstructed by frame members; this being an important aspect ofthe invention not afforded by prior structures.

JAt the beginning of the second story another insulating box-like member 32 marks the. second floor level and performs much the same function as the lowerinsulating member 16. Beams 34 extend across the second floork and afford ceiling beams for the rooms beneath and flooring beams for the rooms above. 'I'hese beams 34, it will be observed, extend from the points. of junction of the vertical Wall beams 26 with the insulating member 32 andl li'e above and parallel to the lower flooring beams 24. This disposal of thev beams 34 carries forward the idea of building in units to conserve material and to afford greater rigidity and durability.

The eaves of the house are formed by sloping or diagonally extending beams or sections 36 which are welded at two points to the horizontal insulating member 32, and the vertically extending wall beams 38 of the second oor, or the sloping roofing beams 40. At their lower extremities the eave beams 36 carry an inwardly extending shelf 42 and drains 44.

The second floor is constructed very similarly to the lower floor and is provided with similar horizontal and vertical beam members serving the same purpose as the corresponding members in the lower story.

' The roofing members, likewise formed of standard sections, are welded to the vertically extending wall members of the upper stories and have convergingr extremities 46, 48 between which extremities is inserted a ridge pole 50, in the form of a ribbon of steel of standard shape. The roofing beams, it will be observed, are also spaced apart to carry out the multiple unit idea and in this manner serve to complete an exceedingly rigid structure assured of a long life. It will now be observed that carrying out of the unit theory results-in a construction comprising a plurality of vertical sections joined together at numerous points by horizontally extending members. A typical section in the house, as illustrated, comprises ahorizontal flooring beam 24, the upwardly extending wall beams leading from opposite ends of the flooring beam, the ceiling beams leading from the upper extremities of the vertical wall beams and the converging roofing beams 'lul which extend upwardly from the ceiling beams.

All of these beams lie within the same plane and the number of planes in the house frame coincides with the selected number of multiples of the unit chosen.

Gables are convenientlyV formed asindicated by the reference numeral 52 and comprise vertical wall beams 54, horizontal flooring beams 56 and converging roofing members 58.

The structural members are all welded together to form what amounts to a unitary frame and the reader may be assured that forming the frame in this manner affords a structure that is rigid beyond belief and that conserves steel to the utmost.

Turning for a moment to further details of construction, Figures 4 and 5 show the contemplated manner of inserting insulating blocks 60 between adjacent vertical wall beams 26, utilizing the channels 62 of the beams as guideways for receiving the outer edges of the insulating material.

Figures 6 and 7 show reinforced expanded metal lathes 64 spot-welded to the vertical beams on the exterior walls for receiving and retaining stucco, plastic cement, etc. 66. Likewise, the reinforced expanded metal lathe is spot-welded to the lowermost flanges of the ceiling beams 24 to provide a base or foundation for ceilings.

It is contemplated forming the roof of insulating blocks to retard the penetration of heat and cold and Figures 8 to 10 inclusive show different ways of accomplishing this desired end. In Figure 8 the roofing beams 46 are composed of channel beams having flanges extending in the same direction and insulating blocks 68 are inserted within the channel of one of the beams and against the base of the other. To hold the blocks in this inserted position retaining bars or clips 70 are spot-welded in place beneath the blocks. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 10, an alternate form of construction consists in spot-welding T-bars '72 to the roofing beams 46 and employing in connection therewith anchor clips or straps '74 for holding the insulating roof blocks 68. At the peak, above the ridge pole or ribbon plate 50, angle bars are employed in place of T-bars that are used at points lower down and the angle bars co-operate with anchor clips or straps 78 in securing the upper ends of the top-most insulating blocks and the roof peak piece 80. With the type of construction shown in Figure 10 the number of roof rafters may be reduced without weakening the structure. After the insulating blocks have been placed in position a thin sheeting or coat of waterproofing material 82 is applied and is then covered over with suitable material, as for example, asbestos shingles 84.

There are other features relating, for example, to the nesting of the stairs in the structure, such stairs being metal; and the combining of a clothes shute framework 86 within the turn of the stairs, and utilizing the shute frame as a vertical supporting member; all of which features are important and which contribute to the efficiency of the structure.

All of the matters described unite in contributing to and affording a comparatively inexpensive all-steel, all-welded frame construction that is 1 durable and rigid and exceedingly satisfactory.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A steel frame for houses comprising in combination, a foundation, a box-like frame supported on and extending the length of the foundation on all sides thereof, means securing said frame to said foundation, said frame being hollow and providing a receptacle for insulating material to thereby insulate said frame, vertical wall beams supported on said box-like frame, and horizontal beams also carried by said frame and rigidly connecting therewith.

2. A steel frame for houses comprising in combination, a foundation, a hollow frame formed by welding together the flanges of adjacent channel beams positioned on said foundation and secured thereto, said frame providing a receptacle for insulating material to thereby insulate said frame, vertical beams supported on said frame and suitably welded thereto, and horizontal beams marking each floor of the building, said vertical and horizontal beams being standard I- shaped structural members.

3. A steel frame for houses comprising, in combination, a foundation, a hollow structural member of substantially rectangular cross section supported on and extending the length of the foundation on all sides thereof, vertical beams supported on and welded to said hollow member, horizontal beams providing horizontal floors in the building, a flange extending laterally from one side of said hollow member, and the horizontal beams forming the first floor of the building being disposed upon and carried by said laterally extending flange.

4. A steel frame for houses, in combination with a foundation, a hollow structural member positioned on said foundation and secured thereto, vertical beams supported on and welded to said hollo-w member, a second structural member supported on said vertical beams and being welded to the ends thereof, horizontal beams marking each floor of the building and rigidly connecting with said structural members, respectively, a corrugated metal plate providing a subooring welded to said horizontal beams, and flooring supported by said corrugated plate.

\5. A steel frame for houses, in combination with a foundation, a hollow structural member of substantially rectangular cross section positioned on said foundation and secured thereto, vertical beams supported on said hollow member, insulating material located between said vertical beams and supported thereby, said material extending the height of the beams to provide insulated vertical walls, horizontal beams marking each floor of the building and disposed in alignment with said vertical beams, a corrugated surfacing covering said horizontal beams, and a flooring supported by said corrugated surfacing.

6. A steel frame for houses, in combination with a foundation, a hollow structural member of substantially rectangular cross section supported on and extending the length of the foundation on all sides thereof, vertical beams supported on and welded to said hollow member, horizontal beams carried by said hollow member and rigidly joined thereto, said horizontal beams providing the first floor of the building, a second hollow member supported on and welded to the ends of the Vertical beams, other horizontal beams carried by said second hollow member and rigidly `ioined thereto forming the second floor of said building, said horizontal beams and vertical beams being disposed in vertical alignment.

HARRY SCULLIN. 

